"The collection, use and dissemination of personal information on the Internet and in e-mail letters is of concern to all".

Thank you for visiting our site and for your interest in our policy on privacy. The Ministère des Relations internationales wishes to inform visitors that it uses cookies only in order to analyse and understand people's use of its website and compile global statistics, with a view to improving the site. Furthermore, no personal information is collected without the prior consent of the visitor.

Information transmitted automatically

You cannot be identified personally from the information transmitted automatically between computers. This information is gathered solely to meet the technological requirements of the Internet and is used for statistical purposes.

The moment you access the department's site, information is automatically exchanged between your computer with the MRI's server, without your intervention. The information does not identify you personally. It consists of:

your Internet domain name (for example "xyzcompany.com" if you have a private Internet access account, or "university.edu" if you access the Internet via a university) and the IP address (a number automatically assigned to your computer by your Internet service provider every time you use the Internet) with which you accessed our site;

the type of browser and operating system used to access our site;

the date and time when you accessed our site;

the pages you visited;

if you accessed our site from another site, the address of that site (referral site).

This exchange of information is necessary if the server is to transmit a file compatible with the computer equipment you are using. The department keeps the information received in order to have a record of the number of visitors to its site, the pages most often visited, the technology used by visitors to the site, the referral sites and the countries in which visitors to the site live.

Some sections of this site are using Google Analytics. This service requires in its privacy policy that we bring to the attention of website users this statement: “This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.” We remind you that this Web analytics service (Google Analytics) is not used for online services.

Voluntary transmission of personal information

Under the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, a government department or agency requesting you to provide personal information must be sure that it needs the information (section 64), must identify itself and must inform you:

"of the name and address of the public body on whose behalf the information is being collected;

of the use to which the information will be put;

of the categories of persons who will have access to the information;

of the fact that a reply is obligatory, or that it is optional;

of the consequences for the person concerned or, as the case may be, for the third person, in case of a refusal to reply;

of the rights of access and correction provided by law" (excerpt from section 65) .

Avoid sending personal information by e-mail. For reasons of security, never give personal information in a message, particularly your social insurance number.

If you wish to send personal information to us, we will use only the information required to answer you and follow up on your message. Any personal information the department keeps is used only for the purposes for which it was collected. It is archived or destroyed in a secure fashion when no longer needed.

The personal information transmitted is not disclosed to any other government agency unless your request is addressed to it or disclosure is required by law. In no case is the information transmitted used to draw up user profiles or communicated to a private organization.

Subscription to an electronic news bulletin

Visitors to the Ministère des Relations internationales website can subscribe to an electronic news bulletin. To do so, they must provide certain information like their email address, first name, last name, and address. The information collected is used only to send bulletins to subscribed members. Under no circumstances will this information be used for any other purpose, nor will it be shared with a third party.